6 week trip to Europe

[barnes87]

Hi all, this will be my first time going to Europe and I was hoping to get some help on my itinerary. I've been reading these boards for awhile now and it made me want to take a trip myself. So here is my itinerary for my very first trip to Europe!!!!

day 1-arrive in London
day 2-leave London, arrive in Bruges
day 3-Bruges-Flanders Fields tour
day 4-Bruges
day 5-leave Bruges, arrive in Amsterdam-
day 6-Amsterdam
day 7-Amsterdam
day 8-leave Amsterdam, arrive in Berlin
day 9 -Berlin
day 10-Berlin
day 11-Berlin
day 12-leave Berlin, arrive in Prague
day 13-Prague
day 14-leave Prague. arrive in Munich
day 15-Munich
day 16-Munich
day 17-leave Munich, arrive in Venice
day 18-Venice
day 19-Venice
day 20-leave Venice, arrive in Florence
day 21-Florence
day 22-Florence
day 23-leave Florence, arrive in Rome
day 24-Rome
day 25-Rome
day 26-Rome
day 27-Rome
day 28-Rome
day 29-leave Rome, arrive in Cinque Terre
day 30-Cinque Terre
day 31-Cinque Terre
day 32-leave Cinque Terre, overnight train
day 33-Paris
day 34-Paris
day 35-Paris
day 36-Paris
day 37-Paris
day 38-leave Paris, arrive in London
day 39-London
day 40-London
day 41-London
day 42-leave London

My budget for the whole trip will be approximately CAD 8000$, thats with my flight (approx. 1000$) transportation + misc ((like backpack, passport, and other random stuff) approx. 1000$, although i could be way off?) and then another 6000 for everything else which is basically a little less then 150$ per day spending money.

Days in certain places can definitely be switched up, I'm hoping to see quite a few things on the wars so is it possible to take day trips from Paris to Omaha Beach? Also, I can take places out and add other places as well, nothing at all is set in stone, so any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

[daisy]

sounds exciting!
I'd definitely add at least 1 more day for prague however. I don't think you'll find too many war sites there but there is quite a bit to see, especially if you'd like to take day trips!

[barnes87]

where do you think I should take it from? Is it possible that i can stretch the 6000 into 7 weeks instead of 6? That way i can add days to Cinque Terre, Prague, I want to go to Auswistch (sp?) Maybe i could take a day trip to there from Prague? Does anyone know how far it is? Thanks.

[daisy]

I believe Auswistch is quite far from Prague, but I could be wrong. I am also planning a six week trip with 6 000 dollars for the summer. I think it's definitely possible stretch it out to seven weeks, however keep transportation costs in mind from city to city, they can add up.

[barnes87]

Thanks for the help daisy, much appreciated. I was wondering what you thought about taking out Prague though? Is there much to do in that city, do you think its a 'must see' city?

About transportation costs, you dont think 1000 CAD will be enough for the whole trip? How much do you think all my transportation will cost from city to city?

[Eagle]

barnes87,

First of all, welcome to the Boards!

Regarding your last post, Auschwitz is outside of Krakow (Poland), so not close to Prague at all. As you're going to be in Munich, you could visit Dachau instead (not quite as large as Auschwitz, but still a very significant WW-II site). You might consdider a day tour with Radius Tours (their office is in the Munich train station). There are also some camps near Berlin as I recall, but I'd have to do some checking to get the details.

I'll have a closer look at your proposed Itinerary in the next day or so (when I have more time) and offer further suggestions.

Cheers!

[daisy]

To be honest I haven't seen any of the other cities in your itinerary other than prague however a day out of Paris or Rome might be a good idea since you are spending more time in those cities. I'd say it definitely is a must see. I visited Budapest, Vienna, and Prague this past summer and Prague was by far my favourite. I spent 2.5 days there with no day trips and there was still much to do!
Depending on the time your planning on traveling transportation costs will vary. If 1000 CAD includes your flight it probably isn't enough, but it also depends where you're flying out of?
Also, the method of transportation prices vary as well, it is often cheaper to take a flight rather than train once in europe.

[barnes87]

Ive decided that it would be to much of a hassle to go to Auschwitz so I'm going to leave that one out. I'll be sure to check out Dachau though, thanks for the tip. I was thinking of taking out Prague, but I'll take your word for it and check it out myself.

I think you might have misread what I wrote daisy, as I have 1000$Cad alone for my flight from either Toronto or Detroit, probably Toronto. Plus another 1000$ for my transportation costs in and around Europe. So that would be for my rail pass, P2P tickets, and maybe a plain ride depending on if I need it. So I guess in total I have 2000$ planned for ALL of my transportation costs.

[herrbert]

Not that much to add, except a link to this website: battlefieldsww2.50megs.com/d_day_sites.htm, which could give you some directions for D-Day sights.

[Eagle]

daisy,

One other thought that occurred to me. Since this is your first trip to Europe, I'd highly recommend pre-reading the Guidebook Europe Through The Back Door. It wil provide you with a LOT of information on travelling inexpensively and efficiently in Europe. Depending on where you're located, you should be able to find this your local Library or Book Stores.

it possible to take day trips from Paris to Omaha Beach?

While it is possible to take day trips from "Paris to Omaha Beach" using Paris Vision or other tour firms, these tend to be quite expensive and only provide a very limited time in Normandy. Many of these usually include a visit to the Museum in Caen (which is very extensive) but only quick visits to Omaha Beach, Pointe du Hoc and other important sites.

For a MUCH more interesting and rewarding tour of the historic D-Day sites in that area, I would highly recommend spending at least a night or two in Bayeux and taking a guided tour with one of the tour companies, preferably www.battlebus.fr. While the tours can be a bit on the expensive side (depending on which ones you choose), IMHO these are by far the best way to see the important places and get some sense of the events that took place there, especially as these are spread out over quite a wide area. Unless you're very familiar with the area, even finding the sites with a rental car is challenging.

If you've ever watched the movie The Longest Day, the American Highlights tour visits St. Mere Eglise, which was liberated by the 82nd Airborne. Pvt. John Steele is still hanging on the Bell Tower (although he apparently didn't land on the side depicted in the movie)!

I've taken both their full day American Highlights tour and Canadian Highlights tour (over two days) and both were outstanding! I learned a lot and visited some very "special" places that aren't on the Itinerary of most tours. The small Church at Angoville au Plain (which involved the 101st Airborne or "Band of Brothers") was one of these incredible locations! I learned a lot about the conditions that Canadians endured, and standing in the garden at the Abbaye d'Ardenne was a very somber and moving experience!

There are an incredible number of places to visit in that area. Depending on your time and budget, you could also consider the Pegasus Bridge sites, the Gun Batteries at Longues sur Mer (which are just a short distance outside Bayeux), and there's also a Military Museum in Bayeux. While there you could also have a look at the famous Tapestry, which depicts a battle that occured long before D-Day.

Cheers!